The Bridgewater Sea Piece

Possibly my favourite marine painting, J.M.W. Turner's Dutch Boats in a Gale (the Bridgewater Sea Piece), 1801, was painted as a pendant (companion piece hanging below) to a similar scene by Willem van de Velde for the 3rd Duke of Bridgewater. See below:

Turner's application of oil paint became increasing transparent and washy as he matured, and his oils began to look more and more like watercolours. This fluidity allowed him to create wonderfully subtle and luminous atmospheric effects.

The Fighting Temeraire, 1839

The Silver Surface

detail






Though born in Paris in 1873, Amedee Julien Marcel-Clement is best known for his scenes of boats along the coast of France.
To create an illusion of a silvery surface, he used a variety of cool greys, broken up by creams and whites, over a warm ground.
Once he found an effect that worked for him, he returned to it many times.
The repetition of similar elements in different paintings suggests that these are studio works constructed from sketches, rather than exact recordings of actual scenes executed on site. However the freshness and energy of the sketches survive in the final works.

Source of images: Burlington Paintings